Otsutsuki
by The What If Factor
Summary: Had Kaguya Otsutsuki held a physical manifestation, would she have attempted to take over the world? Or would she have disguised herself as Kushina Uzumaki, and birthed a child to be trained by the greatest shinobi, initiated into Akatsuki, and become the Child of Prophecy who would unseal her from her hellish prison? Minor Crossovers inside. Mainly with horror icons for Halloween
1. Mommy Dearest

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor anything I crossover this story with. I make no profits from this story whatsoever. The first few chapters is just Naruto's general childhood. I've written my fair share of Fanfiction for Naruto, as in this isn't my first fanfiction account. And it's not my best… Yet. Nevertheless, I normally jump straight into the action. Skip the childhood because I can't really figure out how to make it entertaining. So I'm trying something new. I hope you like it.

_The world is a vile place. It has been since humanity first laid its greedy, corrupt hands on the world. I have lived for a long, long time. Longer than the Elemental Nations have been in effect. Longer than chakra has existed. My name is Kaguya Otsutsuki. I was once a princess, long ago. I witnessed the war of humans tear the Earth apart. Constantly, never halting. Endless war after endless war. Unneeded death after unneeded death. I grew increasingly tired of watching humanity slaughter itself. I grew tired of the corruption and the greed. I grew tired of the Earth as a whole._

"Come here, little Naruto. Never wander too far from Kaa-San. There are many bad people in this world, and those bad people want to hurt you."

_So I took the needed measures to stop the wars. I ate the forbidden fruit from the tree, Shinju. It gave me the means to decimate the damnable humans that spite their own kind, just so that they can get a one up on one another. It granted me chakra. And I ended war! I brought about an era of peace, and I was worshipped as a goddess! But… Humanity does not like things that it cannot understand. Humanity did not like me. It did not like my powers. So I became a demon to them. I became a monster. Me! She who had brought them peace in their damnable wars! Damn them!_

"Kaa-San, where is Zetsu?"

"Zetsu is busy carrying out errands for Kaa-San. If you want to spend time with one, you'll have to settle for White Zetsu."

"But I don't like white Zetsu! He's ignorant! He just treats me like a little baby and it makes me want to slaughter him!"

_Nevertheless… I continued on with my life in their now worthless world. I continued my existence, so that peace would continue. And I mothered two children. Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki. They were both my greatest blessing… And my greatest curse! I loved them. Truly, I did… But they took what was not theirs! They took power from me, they took chakra… No other should ever had wielded that power! There must be imbalance for their to be peace! And as long as I was the only one there was peace! But they took power nevertheless…_

"Do not squander your time, Naruto. We do not have eternity together. Not right now as it is. Practice. Wield the weapon as though you mean it. As though it were part of yourself… Now strike my child!"

"Hai, Kaa-Chan!"

_I loved them… But by God at the same time I despised them. I could not let any ruin the peace that I had attained. I simply could not allow it to happen. So I sought out the Shinju and fused with it. We became a single entity, known as the Juubi… A Procreator to the Shinobi world. I ran rampant through the world. I was going to make sure that I stopped any chance of war ever returning to Earth. And then came my sons. Damn them… Damn them to the deepest pits of Hades! I damn them! They sealed me away! Me! Their mother! Creator of peace! They sealed me away and split the Juubi into nine separate entities. Only their reunion could allow me to be unsealed from my damnable prison. But…_

"Kaa-San, am I evil?"

"No, Naruto… You are not evil. The world around you is evil. And to counteract that, I have made sure that you can survive in this evil world when I can no longer protect you. When I can only contact you."

"Is that why there are bad people up here?"

"In your mind? Technically they are not just in your mind. But sealed with you. And yes, that is why they are there. To help you fight through this evil world. Do not listen to everything they tell you though. Else you may end up in the exact same type of hell that they remain in."

"Yes, mother."

… _But not all was lost. I had once planned to cast the world into an Infinite Tsukuyomi to prevent any farther war. To cast infinite peace. I succeeded with a few, and attached them to the Shinju. They eventually turned into the beings that would become known as 'White Zetsu'. And when I was sealed, my will manifested into the creature that would become known as 'Black Zetsu'. Black Zetsu used one of the white counterparts and what the humans had dubbed as 'Kinjutsu' to give me a physical manifestation._

"Kaa-san, what's a Me-cha-te?"

"A Machete?"

"Yeah! I think that's what it is!"

"It's a bladed weapon. Similar to a sword. That's the best way to describe it. Why do you need to know, my little one?"

"The men in my head tell me weapons that are useful. And sometimes in certain situations. But some of them don't talk. They only sit there. Breathing I guess. But I guess the other guys know what they're thinking, because they talk for them sometimes. One of them said that another used a ma-ch-ete."

"I see."

"Do I listen to them now?"

"You listen to them when you believe that it is important and beneficial to yourself my sweet little one. And only then."

"As you wish, Kaa-San."

_I grew tired of Zetsu's choices to carry out my Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. I grew tired of watching him manipulate the Uchiha and Senju clan in an attempt to reawaken the Rinnegan. And I placed no faith in his choices. I placed no faith in 'Madara' and 'Obito' Uchiha. Because they were weak! Every generation after my children grew weaker and weaker. The Uchiha that Zetsu recruited were no match for the wide scale pandemic that my plan required. And so, I devised a plan to patch Zetsu's ignorant mishap._

"Kaa-Chan…?"

"I'm fine, Naruto-Kun. I'm… Mommy's sick. Very very sick."

"What do I need to do Kaa-San?"

"You need to start harnessing your powers… Before you get sent away for your training."

"Kaa-San… As you wish!"

_I conceived another child. This time by deceit. I posed as a human's wife. His name was Minato Namikaze. I held no affection for that human whatsoever. I simply needed a child. So I conceived one. My little Naruto. Through me, my child received my powers, my chakra, and the chakra of the Shinju. But I was okay with that factor. I allowed it. Because I loved my son more than anything else I've ever loved. Because I wanted him to have that power._

"Zetsu, the time is nearing. This manifestation you've given me… Is fading. And I will not return until I've been unsealed… You have your instructions on what I wish you to do with my little Naruto-Kun. Fail me, and the wrath of God will fall down upon your head Zetsu!"

"I understand."

_He would be the one to carry out my plan. Naruto would unseal me. And together we would carry out whatever plan of action was needed for the world. Rather that were to be casting my Infinite Tsukuyomi, or decimating the world's shinobi forces. But… I needed Naruto to be prepared for the evil world that he was to face. So I scoured the pits of hell using what energy I had left to sustain my body. I found the greatest minds that had killed. Minds that had lived before me._

_Beings that I sealed within my son. 'Jason Voorhees', 'Michael Myers', 'Freddy Krueger', 'Ghostface'. Their likes. Serial killers, they were once called. Ominous and vengeful spirits. Some with supernatural abilities that Naruto himself could learn to harness. Of course, they could only contact Naruto when he allowed it. And even then, I had far greater say in the matter than my little Naruto did._

_And so, I raised my son. As my physical manifestation faded, I raised Naruto to harness my powers. I raised him to harness my chakra. I raised him to use his Byakugan and his Rinnegan. And the monsters in his head taught him how to harness their powers. Their intelligence. Their strength. But… his childhood doesn't end there. No… By the time my physical manifestation had reached its end, Naruto was merely at the tender age of seven._

"Naruto…"

"What is it, Kaa-san!? What's wrong!?"

"Naruto… This form has met its end. I am leaving this plane of existence to rejoin the rest of myself in my prison. Remember all that I've taught you. Remember that I love you. And remember your existence. Remember that it is only through you, the Child of Prophecy, that I can return."

"I will Kaa-San! But-"

"No buts. Listen to Kaa-San carefully now… Zetsu is on his way to retrieve you. You will leave with him, and he will take you to your teachers to train you. You will learn from them as you've learned from me. You will hone your skills. And when you're ready, you will begin your journey to unsealing me. Because, as of this moment… You have not yet begun your true journey. I love you, my little Naruto."

"I love you too… Kaa-Chan…"

_I no longer have a physical manifestation in the world. It has passed from the Earth. But my will there is strong. I have a following of shinobi carrying out my will, and they don't even realize it. Ignorant… Ignorant… Humans. No longer do their petty squables matter. From here on out… My little Naruto will finish what I started. He will carry out the mission he was birthed to do. He will use the powers I gifted him to unseal me. And then… We will rid the world of the pestilence it has brought upon itself. We rid the world of the war that it kills itself with._

_I leave my will… My chakra… My powers… Everything… To my one true son._

_I leave everything to my Naruto Otsutsuki._


	2. Black Ice

_I am just a simple manifestation of Kaguya Otsutsuki's will… I am Black Zetsu. My destiny in this world is to manipulate the world's events to lead it into a Fourth Great Shinobi War. In that war, I will unseal Kaguya. And then, Infinite Tsukuyomi will be cast upon the world. Forever creating peace and eliminating the worthless wars that stain this existence like a urination stain on a Kumogakure Flak Jacket. But that is an existence that I am compatible with. It is what I was created for, and it is solely what I live for._

_Initially, I planned on manipulating the descendants Kaguya's son. 'Indra' and 'Asura'. I planned to manipulate the reawakening of the Rinnegan. And when they were unable to meet the standards that I set for them, I set my eyes in the clans that they created to exist after their bodies were nothing but skeletal frames turning to bone dust in the wind. The 'Uchiha' and the 'Senju'._

_My hope was that eventually the Rinnegan would reawaken. Day in and day out I attempted to manipulate all of their lives just for a single glimpse of the Rinnegan. So that I could unseal Kaguya. Day in and day out my ambitions failed and blew up in my face. Time and time again even the greatest Uchiha and Senju failed me! And then… on death's bed, Madara Uchiha finally gifted me with the sight of the Rinnegan. Far past his prime to actually use them. But that was okay, because another Uchiha was ripe to take his place as the martyr. Obito Uchiha._

_During this time period, however, I used Kinjutsu to gift Kaguya a physical manifestation. She used it to birth a third child. The Child of Prophecy she deemed him. He was to be the one to unseal Kaguya. Because she did not trust Zetsu's faith in the Uchiha. Did not trust his judgement in those that he manipulated into being a pawn in his overall plan. And when her body finally faded from existence, her instruction were clear._

"Zetsu? Where did Kaa-san go?" Zetsu's eyes fell upon the blond haired child that he carried in one arm.

"You already know the answer. She had left this plane, and is sealed. You will only see her again when she is unsealed."

"Why did her body give way?"

"Because she chose to give life to her cause…"

_I was to create an organization that would lead the way to the completion of the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. And once Naruto was to par, he would join that organization. Akatsuki, I've decided to name it. And Naruto… I am to take him with me. I am to use Obito's remaining Sharingan to manipulate various shinobi into training him._

"Zetsu… I need a weapon."

"You'll get a weapon from one of your trainers no doubt." Zetsu replied to the seven year old.

"I can't wait until then. Beside, the weapon is special. Unique."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

_Thinking on it now, I've never seen a mind more dangerous. Those white eyes of his… may as well have been an abyss. Staring daggers into your soul. Reading each and every one of your moves far before it ever happened. The veins bulging on the sides of his skull when his Byakugan activated, reading everything about you. The bandanna that he brilliantly used to cover his third eye._

_And when he removed the bandanna, revealing it to the world, granting him the powers of the Rinnegan and the Sharingan. Controlling everything about him, and reading every single possible outcome of destiny that could have changed within a moments notice. The Shikotsumyaku that gave him the ultimate protecting. Also effectively giving him one of the ultimate weapons in the world._

_With the powers of the boy's mother aside, there was something else about him. Something mythical, and supernatural. An aura to him that screamed of nothing but red seas filled with the thickest of blood. Of a thousand murders performed happily. An intelligence that far exceeded the Nara clan's 'ingenious' minds. Strength that could easily break bones. Speed that could outmatch many shinobi._

_Of course, at the age of seven, he himself had not even recognized these factors. Had not mastered them nor obtained the intelligence needed to realize the power he held in his hands. And at the time, Zetsu had even pondered the idea of using Kaguya Otsutsuki's son as his own person pawn, just as he was very other person in the world. And then, his eighth birthday past. Then, he began to realize the power that he had harvest from his mother._

"Do you dream, Zetsu?"

"That's a bizarre question to ask me. I do not need sleep."

"But do you need to sleep? Do you ever recieve a dream like state?" Zetsu pondered on the questioned for a moment.

"I may. I've never stopped long enough to wonder on it before though. What would it matter if I did or not?"

"The dream realm is my realm now." Naruto responded as he absentmindedly toyed with the weapon that he had finally convinced Zetsu into collecting for him. A knifed glove. "And it would be a pity if I were to stumble upon the creature that my mother's will birthed, believing that it could become a God… Only to be struck down by me. The son of a Goddess, the son of a Princess, The son of a demon. Would it not…?"

"It would be a travesty." Zetsu responded as a small bead of sweat slipped, unnoticed, down the side of his face.

"Yes… A travesty… It's a good thing you've remained a loyal servant, my friend… Zetsu."

_I could not focus solely on the child. So I sent Obito out into the world, and had him hypnotize a certain number of Shinobi with his remaining Sharingan eye. As I had been instructed to do by Kaguya. And then I sent him away to train. The first man that I sent him to, I believe, went by the name Hanzo of the Salamander. Of course, the man's term as Amekage was coming to an end, as was his life._

_Events were falling into place that would mark the end of his life, as I had planned. Amegakure would become the main station for my organization. Obito had long since bestowed the gift of the Rinnegan upon the child I had told him to. That child would become that figure that the general public viewed as the leader of my organization. If he failed, it would fall on Obito, posing as Madara. I would be the true puppeteer pulling the strings until Naruto was ready to take the reigns._

_Nevertheless, with Naruto moved away to train, I set out on my quest to form the Akatsuki. I searched the nooks and crannies and vile lows of every village and every terrain for the scum of the Earth. Murderers and killers and cold blooded shinobi who were prepared to do what was needed of them on a whim. People who were ready to go against the world to drag in nine Jinchuuriki, with the opposition of entire Nations, to summon the Juubi. I quickly found my prime subjects._

_From that moment on, I simply had to wait and allow the rest of the world's pieces to fall into place. As they always did when I was involved in the world's events._


	3. Heart of the Salamander

_Very few Shinobi have impressed me in my lifetime. There are three that I recall from my memory that have impressed me with their prowess. They were the ones that I deemed the Sannin. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Only one outside of them comes to mind, and that is Mifune… A samurai. Yet, there's this boy that I've come to train. I don't really recall who confronted me to train him, nor do I remember why I agreed to train him. But, for some odd reason… I did._

_He obviously wielded the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga clan. The Byakugan. Their pale, white eyes were an obvious giveaway and anyone with an actual genuine knowledge of the shinobi world would have known that fact. He was insanely smart. To degrees that genuinely surprised himself. Surprised Hanzo of the Salamander. He kept a bandanna wrapped firmly around his forehead. Hanzo was unsure of why, but the child would go into a frenzy whenever he attempted to remove it. And so, he continued with what he had been tasked to do, train the child._

"Keep your head up boy." Hanzo's voice commanded harshly. Naruto dodged to the side, barely able to dodge the kusarigama that missed the eight year old's head by mere inches. "If you don't, you won't live very long in the shinobi world. Come at me with intent to kill me, and do it with your head up! If you don't try to kill me, then I'll surely kill you."

"Don't underestimate me." The blond haired child returned evenly as he brandished a machete in his right hand. "Just because I'm not prepared to wield the kusarigama weapons, and wield a simple machete doesn't mean that I'm not a dangerous opponent."

"Perhaps you should spend less time trash talking a clone-"

"-And dodging the real threat!"

_As a child he was rough around the edges. He had a general idea of the shinobi world around him. But he did not have a true grasp on what it was to be shinobi. He had great powers, but only the vague idea that he could do something great with them. He wielded simple or odd weapons. A knife, a machete, a knifed glove. It was all very bizarre. But all a welcome breath from the less than original shinobi filled world that the Earth had become. Especially in the days where it was less about overpowering your enemy, and getting as many flashy jutsu as you could into the battle as possible._

_He had amazing skills with the machete, that much is certain. Though nothing on par with a swordsman, the barbaric way he wielded it was amazingly satisfying. The knives he prided himself in just as barbaric. And the glove, nothing less than a breathtaking dance. And still, with all of his weapons, all of his potential, all of his power… For the first long while in our student teacher relationship together, he was unable to lay a single scratch on my unarmoured skin._

"Come now, boy. I've given you a **pair **of kusarigama! The very least that you could do is wield them with some amount of skill and actually give me a challenge!" Naruto stared at his enemy, indifferent to the words being thrown at him.

"Perhaps you should spend less time trash talking a clone…" Naruto spoke, causing Hanzo to narrow his eyes. Spinning on his heels, his kusarigama sliced through a second Naruto's abdomen. It faded from existence, causing Hanzo's eyes to widen as he spun around once again, finding Naruto inches away from him, poised to strike.

"And focus on the real threat!"

_Over time he picked up the mentality that I expected him to. He picked up the skills that were necessary for him to have a remote chance to survive in the shinobi world. I was proud of the boy. Sometimes I found myself viewing him as a son. The heir I could not allow myself to create. But everything has its time limit. Even me. It's why I was so cautious of a leader. It was why I was a legendary shinobi. It was why I was dubbed Hanzo of the Salamander._

_And my time as the undefeatable Salamander eventually came to an end. An organization rose to rebellion against me, attempting to take my village away from me. I would not have it and fought back. I killed one of my assailants friends and it sent him into a furry. I was able to cripple the man, but I knew that I was no match for him. I swallowed all of my pride and I fled from the man. I kept my village. But in all honesty, that was the downfall of my regime. After that day, I was never the same._

"You're slower than you used to be, Hanzo." Hanzo of the Salamander dodged to the side sluggishly as the now nine year old Naruto missed his neck by inches with one of his two kusarigamas. "What's wrong with you? Has your defeat at the hands of your enemies really affected you so much that you act as you do now?"

"I'm weak now." Hanzo replied easily as he halted in battle, Naruto doing the same. "I am weak and have very little time left in this world. If my body does not give out on itself… My former assailant will no doubt find a way to place me into the grave. If there were as way I could stop it, I would keep my death from happening. I feel as though my death is written in stone though. I feel as if my death is upon the world."

"So what will you do now?"

"My time is fading. And soon, so shall I. But my legacy will remain. You are to be my legacy."

"How? I will not accept your ability to poison whoever it is that I breath upon."

"No. I assumed not. But you will accept the Salamander contract, won't you?" Naruto remained silent for a long period of time as Hanzo stared at him. "Unless you wish to find an inferior scroll."

"It is possible to summon more than one type of creature."

"It is."

"Then I will accept the contract of the Salamander."

"Excellent. Sign your name in blood so that I may teach you the way of the Salamander, before my time runs out in this world and I find myself staring face to face with the Shinigami."

_I trained him in the way of the Salamander. The Salamanders took to him easily enough. There was something comforting in his power they said. As though it was nature itself. Perhaps he will be able to surpass me one day, in everything that I've done. I tried to give him on multiple occasion the same gift that that Black Salamander had given me so long ago. Be he wouldn't have it. He did not want to be entirely like me._

_I trained him as much as I could. And then he came for me. Pein. I knew my time had run out. And by the time the man reached me, Naruto had already been sent away to his next teacher. A man that I know all too well. Someone who I admire. Mifune. The samurai warrior. My legacy now learns from a man that I once spared in my lifetime. As for myself…_

_Pein did not wield the same mercy that I did the day that I faced Mifune._


	4. Code of the Warrior

_I have trained more than one samurai since my hayday. Since the time I first picked up my sword and called myself a warrior. I fought hundreds and hundreds of battles in my life. Never once using the so called amazing powers of the shinobi that rule the world. I have fought every single one of those battles with my sword. With the power bestowed to me through my own strength._

_And so, I found myself training this blond haired child filled with such life. I don't necessarily remember how I was convinced into training the child, but I'm sure that it didn't take much. It runs in blood to train people. Especially when those people have an interest in picking up a sword and turning themselves into a true warrior. And this boy… I've never seen someone with so much life. So much potential as a true warrior._

_He had the abilities of a shinobi. This much I was sure of. I knew this fact, and still it did not bother me. What did it matter if he was trained in the shinobi arts? One of the greatest men I had ever known, Hanzo of the Salamander, was a shinobi. The Amekage, though he had fallen in battle shortly after the boy, Naruto, had arrived to him. So, despite the fact that the boy was in some way shape and form a shinobi, Mifune decided to train him._

"Kusarigama?" Mifune questioned with a raised eyebrow as he observed the pair of weapons that the boy before him produced. The same type of weapon that Hanzo of the Salamander had used.

"It's the only weapon that I have actual training in. Will it not suffice?"

"No." Mifune answered the blond honestly. "As much as I respect the kusarigama, it is not a weapon used by samurai. Besides, if you have a weapon you're already proficient in, what point is there in me training you with them? Please, produce another weapon."

As the child obliged Mifune's request, the samurai raised his eyebrow once again. "A… A machete?"

"It's the only type of weapon even remotely resembling a sword that I own."

"A… machete?"

"I'm sorry. You'll have to settle for either the kusarigama or my machete. I do not own an actual sword."

"We'll get you a true and proper sword soon." Mifune stated with a dreary sigh as he brandished his own bladed weapon. "For now, your machete will have to suffice. If you're ready now… Hajime!"

_After our first battle together, I dropped all other students that I was working with at the time. It sounds ridiculous… That I would drop all of my students in favor of one. But very few and far between do you find a warrior, prepared to take on the way of the sword. Promising in the way of the sword. Never faltering in the way of the sword. I bested that child multiple times in our first battle._

_And just as I had when I battled Hanzo, he refused to quit. He stuck true to his weapon and fought back. Again and again he came at me. Again and again I bested him in bladed battle. But what was to be expected? I was his superior in bladed conflict. Was it expected for a nine year old to best me in combat? That's laughable. Even with the child's potential, such a feat could be considered nothing more than impossible._

"Block!" Naruto's new sword allowed sparks to fly as Mifune's own slammed into it. The child did his best to stave off the man's weapon, but the elder man's strength was too much for the boy to withstand. Shoving his blade sideways, Naruto rolled backwards. Mifune's sword almost ran him through. "Don't try to use that type of shinobi mentality in a bladed battle! It will be the death of you!"

"Hai." Mifune's sword swung over Naruto's head and the nine year old dodged away. "But don't underestimate me just because I made a simple mistake!" Naruto's own blade missed Mifune's throat by mere inches. Mifune's knee slammed into the side of the blond's skull, sending him to the ground, his vision fading to black.

_He tried and tried again to best me. But he was never able to dominate me in battle as he wanted to. Then again, he was only a child. Only in his early years of life. And still, he was so talented in the way of the sword. Word spread of the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki. And of the sword style that he had created. Naruto's mind immediately began working on ways to combat the technique. He even insisted to me to explain the technique to me._

"The technique that Kumo's Jinchuuriki has come up with is completely ridiculous!" Mifune insisted with a roll of his eyes. "Again… As it always pertains to shinobi, that technique is ludicrous as it was made solely to be flashy! So the man has the ability to wield how many swords? He could somehow wield a thousand swords. If his opponent is adept enough with one sword, he will still be defeated!"

"If I have more swords and am more adept at them then I also have a greater chance of victory! Because if he is more adept at multiple swords than I am with one, then he will defeat me!"

"Okay!" Mifune cried out, exhausted. "Okay… I won't dispute that, because that is a true fact. But I won't help you learn such an idiotic stance that was made simply to be flashy! There was a swordsman before me… His name was Zoro. Zoro Roronoa. He coined the technique of using three swords at once. Duel wielding, and using a third sword with his mouth.

"The technique was not made to be flashy. It was made by Zoro to transform himself into the greatest swordsman in the world. I've learned a little bit about the style that he used. Enough to teach you how to perform the technique. But once I've taught you that, it will be solely up to you to replicate the entirety of Zoro's technique as I cannot help you there. Understood?"

"Understood."

_I taught him the beginnings to the style of the master swordsman, Zoro, the former pirate. It took him a long while to understand the concept of wielding a sword in his mouth. The skill of duel wielding two swords at once came seemingly naturally due to his use of the kusarigamas that Naruto wielded. It wasn't until after his tenth birthday that he discovered how to wield the third sword in his mouth._

_From there, it was as if the boy had been born with that sword in his mouth. All those days clenching his jaw, all of the blood that had dripped from his mouth when I smacked the sword, eventually paid off. He became dangerous. It became a much greater time for me to spar with him. He became far more unpredictable in his movements. In a way, it wouldn't have been a surprise to me if Zoro's spirit had approved of the child and gifted him with unnaturally excellent at his swordsmanship._

_Alas, it was not in the boy's heart to be a samurai. Though he was a true warrior, it was not him to simply be a wielder of the sword. There was more to him than just armour and a sword. There was nothing that I could say and or do to stop him from leaving either. Four months after the boy's tenth birthday, he was packed and prepared to leave my tutelage. By no means on par with me as a swordsman, but well on his way to being a master at the art of the sword._

"This is farewell, Mifune."

"It's a pity that I can't convince you to stay, Naruto. You are the greatest pupil that I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. I wish that you would stay and become a samurai. You would become great. It is possible you could become a legend."

"With the path I am following, I will become my own legend. I do not want to live in the shadow of samurai. It is not my destiny. It is not what I wish for."

"It saddens me to hear such a thing. Nevertheless, I'm sure that we will meet again. Perhaps when we do you will have had a change of heart and be prepared to take on the life of a samurai."

"Perhaps." Naruto mumbled in response as he turned around and began to walk away from Mifune, who watched after him with a frown.

"Be careful on your journey my pupil. Become a great swordsman. The great swordsman that I know you will be. Stay on a righteous path! Do not stray into the darkness." Naruto said nothing in return as he continued to walk. Mifune released a small sigh.

_I lost my greatest pupil that day. But perhaps it was for the best. It would not be right for Naruto to have accepted the way of the Samurai with be true and honest to our ways in his heart. It would have been disrespectful to everyone involved in the situation. After his departure, I returned to my ways of teaching and commanding the next generation of samurai._

_None that I found was able to hold a candle to the potential that Naruto had shown in the way of the Samurai._


	5. Shark Frenzy

_When Pein first introduced the little brat known as Naruto to the small organization that had gathered under the name of 'Akatsuki' I was less than impressed. In fact, I was sure that the boy would have been dead within a week of his arrival. If not from one of the members of Akatsuki, simply from the fact that he was surrounded by S-Rank shinobi. I was disappointed in my assumption._

"Why are you blue?"

"Why are your eyes completely white!?" Kisame questioned back with irritation, tired of being questioned by the blond haired child.

"Because I inherited them from my mother. Did you inherit your blue skin from your mother?"

"What does it matter if I did or not!?" The shark like shinobi asked with rage evident in his eyes. The blond headed child before Kisame shrugged in response to the older male.

"I guess that it doesn't. I was just curious. Zetsu told me that I needed to train. But I'm used to training with people. It makes the experience more worthwhile to me. I figured that I would find someone strong to help me train and you seemed to fit the bill. Since you don't really have a mission assigned to you at the moment, I figured that I would ask you. After I got to know you slightly, of course…"

_I was ready to slaughter the little brat. He had annoyed me for hours, just so that I would train with him. I readily accepted his little training proposition with the full intention of 'accidently' slaughtering the blond haired brat during a training 'fiasco'. That's where the brat surprised me. He was actually already well trained. But his abilities as a ten year old was far far beneath my own. He never had the chance to beat me._

_Still… I was intrigued by the little brat. Intrigued by his skill and prowess. Intrigued by the ominous power that I felt drifting from him. Intrigued by the aura of bloodshed that seemed to surround his entire being. So, I accepted him as a pupil after a few training sessions. How could I not? He was destined to be a power house. And he was already rather well versed in the way of the sword. I had heard that Zabuza Momochi had taken on an apprentice after he abandoned Kirigakure and had a chance to leave behind a legacy. Why shouldn't I go along those same lines?_

"Shark… Summoning?"

"That's right. If you want me to teach you anything, you have to be able to deal with sharks. You have to be accepted by them. If you aren't, there's nothing that I can teach you and you're just a waste of my time. Now, are you going to sign the contract so that we can get the initial meeting over with or are you just going to stand there, wasting my time like an idiot?"

_He signed the contract allowing him to summon sharks. He was accepted rather quickly, and within a few weeks I was teaching the kid a few things. Not my entire arsenal. No, I had never planned nor intended to teach him everything that I knew. My plan was simply to teach him enough that even if I were to die before him I would leave a legacy on the world. An unforgettable impact._

_I taught him a few Water jutsu. He excelled at them. There was something else to him besides just those Byakugan eyes. Something hidden behind the bandanna he always wore, I believe. Something that allowed him to excel in any and all jutsu that he learned. At first I thought I was paranoid. Maybe just a little bit insane from the experiences that I had dealt with in Kirigakure. So I developed a hypothesis._

"Here." Naruto glanced up questioningly, and slightly irritated, as Kisame threw a small scroll at his skull, allowing it to bounce off of his blond locks and onto the ground before him.

"What is this?" The blond haired boy asked.

"It's a scroll with a few techniques inside. Don't think too much into it. It's a blood seal keeping it locked. Bite your thumb, draw some blood, and wipe the blood over the seal. It'll unseal the scroll. I'm going to be leaving for a few weeks on an assignment. Take that time to learn these jutsu. Master them to the best of your abilities. Be ready to train when I return."

_I had no assignment whatsoever at that point in time. That was just the excuse I used so that the kid would stop seeking me out to train so that I could sit back and watch his learning process. The scroll itself was a copy of Konoha's 'Forbidden' Scroll. Sasori had taken a minor interest in the boy, but nothing to the lengths that I had, and he never gained anything more than just a small interest. So, with a little prompting, he was easily able to gain the copied scroll from one of his many spy rings._

_I sat back for a few weeks, observing Naruto. I'm uncertain if he knew that I was there watching him or not. The fact of the matter is that he blew through the scroll. Especially after he was able to get a handle on the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu. He abused the shadow clones, making as many as he could, then spreading them around and allowing them to practice a variety of techniques. Any and all elemental jutsu within the scroll he was able to learn, confirming my hypothesis._

_There was more to this Naruto child than just his Byakugan eyes. I don't know why he had been introduced to the Akatsuki. I don't know who had chosen him, or why. But I did know one thing, and that was the fact he was dangerous. A large ocean where one tiny little pin prick of a paperclip to its calm surface could cause the most horrific tsunami experienced by humankind. I was going to be the pin prick that caused the tsunami to form._

"Welcome back, Kisame."

"Did you learn the jutsu in the scroll?" Kisame questioned the blond haired child before him, though he already knew the answers to that long before the child ever nodded his head in response.

"I did. It wasn't quite as challenging as I thought that it would be."

"Is that so…?"

"Hai."

"Listen kid, I've been thinking… I'd like to give you a gift. From me to you, to get you one step closer to the goal that you've set for yourself that you're going through all of this crap for."

"What kind of gift?"

"I want you to give me one of your swords. And I'm going to take it and make a sister sword to my Samehada."

"You would do that?"

"What can I say, kid? I like to see whirlpools spiral out of control."

_I took one of his swords, and a few scales from Samehada before fusing them together. In effect, it became a katana version of my Samehada. Naruto named it 'Akuma No Koibito' before we sparred with it for the first time. As imaginable, the pair of Naruto and Akuma were no match for myself and Samehada. But in time they would become great together. I knew that without ever having to see them battle together._

_From one hand to the other to his mouth, it was as if Naruto and his Akuma were one and the same. An extension of each other. It was a beautiful dance that I had never seen before. Shortly thereafter I began to see less and less of Naruto. I began to get actual assignments from my new organization and he began to take more interest in some of the other members of said organization. But I was okay with that. Because, no matter what happened from then on…_

_I was the pin prick that caused the oncoming tsunami in my eyes._


	6. Viper's Scale

_I had my first real encounter with Naruto sometime after Kisame had taken interest in Naruto, and the blond had trained with a few other members. Mainly Kakuzu through my observations, though the stitched together man had little to no actual influence on the child's life. His Byakugan eyes interested me, but not in the way that Itachi Uchiha's eyes had interested me before I had been run away from Konohagakure by the Sandaime Hokage._

_But there was something else. I know that I was not the only one to feel it. There was something more to the boy than just those Byakugan eyes. I knew that someone within the Akatsuki organization that I had joined knew what it was, though I didn't know who it was exactly. So I approached the child. He was apprehensive of me, because everyone that he had trained with beforehand were shinobi that he had approached. Not the other way around. That would not deter me._

"Hello again, Naruto-Kun."

"Hello Orochimaru." The Snake Sannin smiled in response to the child's answer. "What do you want?"

"I've just taken an interest in you. Is that so wrong, Naruto-Kun? It's the same type of interest that Kisame has shown in you. I do not understand what is so wrong about that? I just want to train you, observe what it is about you that has piqued my interest so."

"I guess that there is nothing wrong with that." Naruto replied with a soft sigh as he reached behind his head and scratched his skull. "Though I don't know what exactly it is the Snake Sannin has to teach me."

"Kukuku." Naruto's lips tugged downwards into a frown at the pale skinned man's laughter. "You are not the first person that I've trained… Naruto-Kun."

_It is my belief that there was something behind that bandanna of his. I saw it in his movements. There was something about him… As if he had the Sharingan. As if he read my movements before they ever happened. It was intriguing to say the least. And when I demonstrated a jutsu to him, it was as though he were gaining that ability almost instantly. Yes, it was all so amazing, so convenient… So easy._

_I knew that my time within Akatsuki would run short. I had no interest in the organization's ultimate goals. I was simply interest in my own future endeavours. So I devised the plan that I would train Naruto to an extent farther than he had already been trained. And then, when I was ready to rid myself of the terrible business that was Akatsuki, I would mark the boy with a Curse Mark and take him as my next vessel. Perhaps my permanent vessel._

"Very good, Naruto." Orochimaru chuckled as the boy looked at him. Naruto did not share the same student teacher relationship that he had with his past teachers with Orochimaru. In all honestly, he found it increasingly difficult to tolerate the Snake Sannin's presence. In fact, the now eleven year old had thought of going to Zetsu on multiple occasions and having the man manipulated out of the Akatsuki. It was a thought that he should have followed through with.

"Hai… If you don't mind, I think I'll take my leave-"

"Actually, I do." Orochimaru stated as he inspected his finger. "You see, I've allowed a few others to sign the Snake summoning scroll besides myself. You're going to be another one of those individuals."

"Why would I sign the Snake contract? I'm already a summoner of two contracts."

"Two you say?" Orochimaru questioned with piqued interest before chuckling with his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "That matters not. You have the potential to be something great. I'm offering you another tool to use in the battlefield. Is there really any individual in the entire world that can turn down the offer of power that benefits them in the end?"

"I assume the answer is no."

"Then you assumed correctly, Naruto-Kun."

_I allowed him to sign the Snake Summoning Contract under the premise that he could 'become something great' where in all reality it was just to the fact that his body would be accustomed to the Snake jutsu that I am when he became my vessel. Once that piece of the puzzle was in place, I immediately delved into my arsenal of snake related jutsu. Just as normal he took to them very quickly, albeit maybe a little slower than he did just normal elemental jutsu._

_Still, I could see the apprehension in his eyes everytime he was near me. I could see the cogs turning in his mind every single time I taught him. I realized that he would never trust me. I tried everything in my power to gain his trust. I even bestowed the power of the Kusanagi No Tsurugi onto one of his once pathetic Katanas. Still, the boy was unmoved. Uncaring towards me. Completely untouched by my manipulations. Still, I remained and trained the boy, searching farther and farther into him. Then, as I found myself getting ever closer to solving the mystery behind the young boy, he appeared. Itachi Uchiha. My dream vessel in a way. The perfect vessel. A wielder of the Sharingan. I lost focus on the blond haired child._

_Itachi's own interest piqued in the boy. By some divine design, it seemed that the Uchiha saw something of his brother in Naruto, and sought to make sure I had little to no interaction with the child. That was fine by the Snake Sannin the moment that the Uchiha had arrived within the organization. Throwing the blond boy away from my thoughts, I focused solely on Itachi. And that was my downfall._

_I never did learn the secret behind Naruto when I was still a member of the Akatsuki. And when I tried to turn Itachi into my vessel, he simply overpowered me… Me! The Snake Sannin of Konoha! I fled and began the process of building my village- the village of Otogakure. But, even as the Otokage, I find myself in regret. Regret that I never learned the secret behind the boy known as Naruto. Regret that I never turned him into my vessel. Regret that I never saw the true potential, sitting there just beyond that red bandanna tied around his skull..._


	7. Dark Shadow

_Once I had allowed Naruto to flourish under the shinobi that I had chosen, and under the select Akatsuki members that he had chosen, it was time for the final phase of the blond haired child's training, as described to me by Kaguya before her physical manifestation had disappeared from his world. And that final phase was a simple one. So, when his twelfth birthday arrived, he was brought before me._

"Zetsu." Naruto stated drearily as he entered the black beings domain. His knifed glove, which he had long since forgotten about due to his training and decreased contact with those his mother had placed with him, more than likely due to her own intervention, donned comfortably on his right hand. There was no doubt in Black Zetsu's mind that he had been using the weapon, training with it as he had when he had first acquired the weapon. Perhaps he was once again pursuing the training techniques of those inside his mind.

That mattered no to Zetsu.

"Hello, Naruto. It's good to see that you're surviving well in the environment that you're living in. It won't be long before I ship you up to Pein to be placed in the Amegakure shinobi forces as a guise and sent out under that guise to begin your true path to reviving your mother. But your training is not yet complete. There is one final phase to your training that Kaguya entrusted unto me."

"And what was that phase, per se, Zetsu?"

"From here on out Naruto… I will be training you. No one else. I will train your Rinnegan. I will train your Sharingan powers. I will train your Byakugan. I will train your Shikotsumyaku. If you develop it, I will train your Mokuton. Any ability that you need from this point on out… you will learn from me." Naruto cocked his head to the side before tapping the side of his temple with one of the index knife of his glove.

"What about the monsters up here?"

"They'll be the **only** exceptions… Understand, Naruto?"

"Hai, I understand."

_His training began. I treated him like I would a true enemy each and every time that we trained together. Everything that I needed to instill in Naruto I drilled into his head violently. It became life or death situations for the blond headed child each and every day. With every spar that we entered together, I could see it in his eyes, questioning if he was going to leave the spar alive. His reflexes grew greater._

_His speed, his strength, his swordsmanship, they all skyrocketed within the first year of training with Zetsu. By the time he was thirteen, he was already versed in his Rinnegan, Sharingan, and Byakugan abilities. He was beginning to understand the true concept of the power that he held in his three eyes. The power that coursed through his veins was obvious each and every time that he faced off against Zetsu. With each battle he grew more and more confident, more and more powerful._

"Where are you?" Zetsu asked slowly as he glanced around himself. "Show yourself, young Otsutsuki. You're only lengthening your defeat out longer than it has to be." The child was using the same Space-Time Portal technique that Kaguya herself once used. The same one that Zetsu himself used. Naruto appeared before him, causing Zetsu to frown. The boy normally put up a stronger fight than that. "Fight over already? That's… disappointing."

"No… Not over already. This is something that I learned long ago. From Hanzo of the Salamander."

"Oh, and what is that?" Zetsu questioned suspiciously as Naruto's veins bulged around his eyes, fire seemingly dancing wildly in his his Byakugan.

"Don't talk to the clone."

"Focus on the real threat!" Zetsu spun around, just as Naruto's knifed glove hand slammed through his abdomen. Blood trickled down the black being's chin moments before Naruto's machete, wielded by his clone, slammed through his teacher's chest. "Game, set, match." Naruto spoke as the training from the 'monster's' in his mind took over.

"So it is…" Zetsu spoke as he reached up, grabbing the machete. Then, he ripped it out of his chest. Swinging around, he dispelled Naruto's clone and sent the blond headed twelve year old sliding away from himself. Naruto grit his teeth as he flexed his knifed fingers. "Your move, Otsutsuki." The black being spoke, staggering from side to side. A sinister grin took over his opponent's face.

"Don't fall and pass out, Zetsu… I'm afraid that this battle will end rather quickly!"

_He became a monster. The beings in his head taught him relentlessly in his sleep. I taught him relentlessly while he was awake. Under that type of supervision he was bound to turn into the demon he needed to be until he could unseal his mother and become the prince that he was destined to be under the Infinite Tsukuyomi._

_He never showed any signs of possessing the Mokuton while I trained him. It was a slight disappointment. But it was nothing worth batting an eyelash at. His powers far surpassed the single power of the Mokuton. In fact, when he grew to be the shinobi that he was meant to be, when he became older, I was sure that he would have had no problem holding a candle to Kaguya's other two children. Alone._

_Time went by quickly as Naruto began to mold into the true shinobi that he was meant to be. Soon came his fourteenth birthday it seemed. I had not taught him every single thing that I knew. But I had taught him enough. And he knew enough from his other teachers. From there on out, it was his own duty to turn himself into the shinobi he needed to be to revive his mother. The day after his birthday, I sent Naruto up to Pein, the figurehead Kage for Amegakure, and the figurehead leader for Akatsuki._

_He instituted Naruto into the Akatsuki, and Amegakure's shinobi program. Just in time for the Chunin Exams in Konohagakure No Sato it would seem. That was perfectly okay with me. From what had reached my ears, a major world event was to occur in Konoha during the Chunin Exams. Caused by Orochimaru. It would be the precursor of everything to follow it._

_As Kisame would say, the pin prick that caused the greatest tsunami ever seen by humanity._


End file.
